NO DROGBA BID

Carlo Ancelotti has said that the club has not received any bids for Didier Drogba. Club president Jean-Claude Dassier announced on Thursday that the French champions had attempted to bring the Ivorian striker back to Stade Velodrome before the transfer window slammed shut. Three fans even had £100 free bets on Drogba returning to France.

He claimed their advances were knocked back by Chelsea, who acquired Drogba for £24million from Marseille in 2004. Since then he has gone on to become one of the most fearsome frontmen in world football, collecting an enviable collection of honours along the way.

Didier Drogba is, however, now 32 years old and there had been talk over the summer that Chelsea may choose to cash in on him. Those reports were quickly played down by the Blues, who insist the African ace remains an integral part of their plans.

DROGBA RULES OUT CITY MOVE

Chelsea star Didier Drogba has ruled out a possible move to Manchester City. Reports had claimed that the Ivorian was a target for other big clubs, with Manchester City mentioned as possible suitors, with the striker’s agent at one stage claiming the Citizens were interested in his client.

But Didier Drogba is intent upon helping the west London outfit to more success after last season’s Premier League and FA Cup double. Like most of the football betting world, he feels that City are again going to be up there.

“Every summer there is speculation, you saw me in a Chelsea shirt [on Sunday] and I think that is how you will see me all season!” Drogba told his club’s official website.

Meanwhile, the Ivorian is expecting City to play a part in this season’s title race and push for the top four places.

“We saw last year that Tottenham were there fighting for fourth place, Arsenal were there, so the Premiership will be more open, with Manchester City spending more money and buying quality players,” he explained.

Chelsea were the wrong side of a 3-1 scoreline when they faced Manchester United in Sunday’s Community Shield at Wembley.

The result does not perturb Drogba too much though, with pre-season having started late for many of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad due to the World Cup.

“We are working hard, we have a lot of players who have trained for ten days or a week, it is too short to be fit and ready for big competitions but we have to improve our game even if we are not fit, and hope that in two or three weeks time it will be better,” he said.

“The match was disappointing of course but I am not really worried because it is only 10 days since we started working and we need more time together.

“I am disappointed because we lost the game, we had a few chances at the end but more than the defeat today it was important to see and understand that we are not ready yet.”

DROGGERS NOT FOR SALE

Chelsea Chief Executive Ron Gourlay has insisted that Didier Drogba is not for sale at any price.

In a press conference held in the Chelsea Hospitality lounge, Gourlay also dismissed speculation that talismanic striker Didier Drogba will be leaving the club in the summer, after Premier League rivals Manchester City were linked with a multi-million pound bid for the 32-year-old.

“Didier will be a Chelsea player next year. Didier is under contract,” Gourlay stated, while speaking to Sky Sports News.

“The thing about this time of year is we always get [this]. For our players to be in the news – it’s normal.

“But Didier Drogba will be a Chelsea player next year.”

With sales unlikely, Gourlay confirmed the club do have money to reinforce their double-winning squad.

DROGBA HAPPY AT HOME

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba believes home advantage could be crucial as the Blues look to win their first Premier League title since 2006.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently one point ahead of Manchester United with three games left, the first of which is against 11th placed Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The sports betting markets have made Chelsea firm favourites to win the Premier League.

“We have done well at home,” Drogba told the club’s official website. “You never know what can happen, games are difficult now. Some teams are trying to save lives but some teams are playing for little and can enjoy themselves, and sometimes then you play better. It is going to be difficult – but it is up to us.”

Drogba, the club’s top scorer after a stellar individual campaign, believes that the crowd can have a big part to play in willing their team to victory, and has called upon them to deliver the atmosphere that has helped on big occasions in the past.

“We need the fans to be really behind us, to be even better than against Bolton [where they won 1-0] in the last game,” he said.

DROGBA WANTS RECORD

Didier Drogba is confident he can break Bobby Tambling’s record tally of 202 goals for Chelsea.

The 31-year-old currently has 102 goals for the Blues leaving him ninth in the overall goalscoring standings.

If the Ivory Coast international continues at the same rate as he has since signing for the club in summer 2004 then the former Marseille man will be 36 by the time he breaks the record.

The striker already has a new contract keeping him at Stamford Bridge until 2012 and the player believes, if he can stay injury free, the 39-year-old record is within his grasp.

“I feel young even if I am 31,” he told partybets.com. “I want to run and I am not tired so I will do everything to score 200 goals for Chelsea.

“If I am in good health and don’t have any injuries I can do it and if I do it, I also want some trophies around me and around the team, the Champions League especially and the Premier League.

“It is important for me and the club.”

DROGBA COPIES RONALDO

Didier Drogba pulled Carlo Ancelotti out of the sticky stuff to extend the longest opening day winning streak in Premier League history – and revealed the debt he owed to Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Drogba was the first to admit his injury-time match-winner that left Ancelotti gasping for a fag and Phil Brown spewing was a fluke, the African ace had already scored one of the goals of the season.

Drogba’s stunning first half free-kick to draw Ancelotti’s Blues level after a solar plexus blow from Stamford Bridge hate-figure Stephen Hunt was a replica of the Ronaldo stunner against Portsmouth two seasons ago.

And the Chelsea hit-man conceded he had been more than happy to steal from the Portuguese star’s bag of tricks.

Drogba said: ‘I guess it was a bit like the one Ronaldo scored and it was deliberate. I tried to do it like that and lined it up to hit the valve.

‘Everybody is aware of this technique now after Ronaldo and it’s true that when you hit the valve the ball comes down more.

‘But it is just technique – and I think his free-kick was bit better than

DROGBA AIMING FOR WORLD CUP SEMIS

Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba plans to live up to his reputation as the man for the big occasion by out-gunning his rivals for the World Cup golden boot.

Now the 32-year-old striker believes he is capable of emulating those heroics with his country in South Africa.

Sven Goran Eriksson’s side have been drawn in a group which would make less confident players quake in their boots as they prepare to face five-time world champion Brazil and a serious title contender like Portugal.

The free betting sites have Ivory Coast down as dark horses to qualify for the knockout stages. But Drogba will lead the Ivory Coast into battle brimming with confidence after the best season of his life. Drogba is sure to be heading the tournament’s scoring charts.

“I really hope so. If we can get through the group stages, I think we have a very strong chance,” Drogba said.

“It’s important that we do well as a nation, but if I can win the World Cup Golden Boot as well, then it would be amazing.”

DROGBA URGES LUKAKU TO CHELSEA

Didier Drogba believes that Lukaku has the same potential to become a great striker like him and hence has recommended him to sign for Chelsea. Lukaku, 17, burst onto the scene last season and was top scorer in the Jupiler Pro League with 15 goals in 25 appearances. His potential was also confirmed after he grabbed a brace in the 3-1 Europa League victory against Ajax.

A switch to the Stamford Bridge outfit has been mooted for several years, though they can expect to face competition from AC Milan, Real Madrid and Arsenal. Speaking to Sport/Voetbal Magazine, Belgian FA spokesman Nicolas Cornu divulged a conversation he had with Drogba about Lukaku.

“Yes, I’ve even called him,” Didier Drogba is reported to have said. “I got his phone number from Vincent Kompany.

“I told him – you have to sign for Chelsea.” The Sports Betting markets have Chelsea down as his next club.

BONY LIKE DROGBA

Swansea city manager Gary Monk has compared his striker Wilfried Bony to Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba. He also says that the former Vitesse Arnhem striker can become even better than Drogba, who scored more than 150 goals during his eight-year stay with Chelsea.

The Ivory Coast star is approaching the end of his career, but that has not prevented this star value from diminishing. He is currently playing with Turkish outfit Galatasaray. Bony came to the Premier league only in the summer from Vitesse Arnhem for £ 12 million.

Many questioned the value of the deal when it was announced, but he has more than proved to be a very good striker in the last few months at the club. The 25-year-old was also linked with the likes of Chelsea before the move to Swansea. In the 41 appearances he has made, the striker has scored 20 goals, which is a decent tally considering that Swansea have been struggling with relegation for most of the season. They would have been easily down in the drop zone had it not been for his goals. Monk recalled an incident from the first day of the training to show how strong a player the club had in its hands.

“Wilfried can definitely have the same impact as Drogba. I think he has shown that, and with Michu back, they will both want to be top dog and get goals for us. He is a real strong lad. He dislocated my finger on the first day in training. I went to push him off and my finger just snapped. He is solid,” said the Swansea manager, who could be facing a fight to keep the striker at the club in the summer. Bony has warned the opposition that he is not happy with his form and wants to get better.

Uncategorized